Grief Lending Library

Ages 5-9. Grief is a small word for a BIG experience. This book discusses the emotions, physical effects, social effects, and more that a kid may experience after a death.

• Children

Social worker and educator Susan Hannifin-MacNab tackled these difficult questions after her husband was killed suddenly, leaving her to pick up the pieces of her young family's life. She eventually realized that grief and trauma healing do not occur by waiting for time to pass. Action and intention are the pillars needed to lay a foundation for rebirth and build a powerful roadmap for healing mind, body, and spirit.

• Sudden & Traumatic Death

Guidelines for assisting adolescents presently struggling with the difficult issues of dying, death and bereavement.

• Helping Children & Teens

This work considers the potential effects of slavery, racism, and white ignorance and oppression on the African American experience and conception of death and grief in America. This book documents, describes, and analyzes the key phenomena of the unique African-American experience of grief.

• Professional

A heartfelt and practical guide about what you can do after the death of someone loved.

• General

This booklet was written to help the reader understand some of what he or she may experience during the months after a suicide loss. The material is arranged chronologically: common experiences after the first few days, weeks, months, followed by the first full year and beyond. 

• Sudden & Traumatic Death

• Suicide

Written from her own experiences, Elizabeth answers the question every bereaved parent asks, Will I ever get over it? Both a guide and a meditation, this book is valuable to friends and relatives as well.

• Death of a Child

Ages 8-11. Twins Amy and Allie were eight years old and their brother was four when their beloved father died suddenly in his sleep. Encouraged and guided by their mother, the three children kept a journal for almost two years. They wrote about the night he died, the funeral, the first week, the first year, the cemetery, their thoughts and feelings-and the future.

• Children

• Death of a Father

Explores the life of Alicia, a popular sixteen-year-old, in the aftermath of a fatal car crash, as her friends, family members, and others recall key episodes that show her impact on their lives. Includes author’s note about the real Alicia and how she inspired the book, as well as resources on teen grief.

• Teens

• Sudden & Traumatic Death

The story of how the author found strength to survive her loneliness and loss of identity...

• Death of a Partner

• Historical

The story of Annie and grieving the death of her brother, she brings us through the details of her grieving process while validating the grief of others that is often overlooked. Divided into three sections, With, Without, and Within, that creates a framework for the reader to ground themselves and process the information.

• General

• Sibling Loss

Join seven-year-old Grace on her journey through coping with the loss of her father while learning about the different ways that people grieve the loss of a loved one. In the process of learning about who her father was through the eyes of others, she learns about who she is today because of her father's personality and love.

• Children

• Death of a Father

Written while searching for answers to her brother's death that no adult seemed to have.

• Children

• Death of a Sibling

“…Insights concerning relationship patterns, validates individual differences and provides practical advice for many of the painful family problems associated with cancer."

• Before the Death

• Cancer / Historical

A spiritual and practical guide to healing after pregnancy loss. This book points grieving hearts to real hope, and equips family, friends, churches, counselors, and others with understanding and tools for ministering to hurting families after loss.

• Death of a Child

• Miscarriage

Contains the author’s personal observations and conclusions about grief after the death of a child. He describes techniques for working through grief that may be especially helpful for the bereaved father.

• Death of a Child

• Men and grief

Fried’s letters, written after their deaths to a number of his most memorable patients, surely served as a catharsis for him, a means of venting pent-up grief. Compiled, they iterate the life affirmations of the children he came to know and admire over the years

• General

A compilation of true stories from parents who have had a baby die.

• Death of a Child

Ages 7-9. When her grandmother starts forgetting things, has to go into a nursing home and then dies, a young girl tries to remember the good times they shared.

• Children

• Death of a Grandparent

Ages 4 and up. Anna's Corn portrays the love between a grandparent and grandchild and gently looks at loss and grief and the hope of new life. Barbara Santucci's simple story reassures young readers that memories can help heal our sadness, while Lloyd Bloom's poignant images capture the changing seasons of nature and life.

• Children

• Death of a Grandparent

From the award-winning author of "The Undertaking" comes this debut fiction collection of heart-rending stories of life and death.

• General

…the focus is our own death, the intent throughout is exploration of our own living.

• General

• Historical

The author analyzes the effects of a death in the family on the lives of children and adults.

• Professional

"This study examines how consumers think and feel about death and funerals, and updates a comparable study done in 1974 by the Casket Manufacturers of America."

• Professionals

• Funeral Rites

The author’s account of his courageous fight against an incurable, progressive illness, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.”

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Lou Gerig's Disease / Historical

A middle-aged daughter helps her parents take one last journey together. As they drive through the fall mountain colors and long stretches of western highways, she recalls treasured childhood memories, agonizes with her father over his daily struggles against cancer, and ultimately understands what is being passed on to her.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Cancer

Ages 5-10. About the death and life of a very special friend. At first, those who loved Badger felt overwhelmed by their loss. In time though, whenever Badger’s name was mentioned, someone would recall a special memory that made them all smile.

• Children

When life becomes difficult, we set out on a search to find answers to significant questions: Why would God allow this to happen? What good could come out of this? What will it look like to trust him? This collection explores Scripture in regard to the causes and purposes of suffering, as well as what it means to trust God in the midst of hardship and pain.

• General

• Death of a Child / Religious

Ages 4-8. When Emily’s brother dies after a long illness, she feels alone, angry, and sad. With the understanding and support of her parents, she learns that it helps when she snuggles with her parents, talks about her feelings, and asks questions about Ben. It helps when she does regular kid stuff, too. Mostly, she learns that remembering Ben and their happy life together builds healthy and helpful images that soothe her sad feelings and provide much comfort to her and her family.

• Children

• Death of a Sibling

This is the classic book for parents whose child has died - and for those who want to help them. Author offers timelines and practical step-by-step suggestions to help you cope with every stage of grief.

• Death of a Child

• Historical

(The Springer series on death and suicide; v. 1) Includes bibliographical references and index.

• General

• Historical

Looks closely at the pioneering legacy of the work of Kubler-Ross and discusses how professional understanding of dying and grief has progressed and developed. Readers will find spirited discourse on the most current issues surrounding the questions of how people grieve and how professionals can best support them, in chapters and tools that will augment and even challenge their work.

• Professional

This book contains reassuring words about the questions and feelings which strike us in both expected and unexpected moments….thoughts gathered to help sustain you in your time of grief.

• General

• Historical

Nine mothers who lost a child and met in a support group give comfort and direction to bereaved parents. They candidly share with other grieving parents what to expect in the first year and long beyond.

• Death of a Child

Describes how widowed people of all ages contend with the loss of a spouse, and the equally important loss of their own marital identity.

• Death of a Partner

Intended for all who sense in the reality of mortality a problem of meaning and who are interested in how some of their fellow human beings have grappled with it.

• General

• Religious / Historical

A bibliography of books on death, bereavement, loss and grief from 1935-1968.

• Professional

• Historical

Ages 9-12. “A little girl’s brother has died and she shares with readers what this means to her. She tries to understand her own feelings and those of her family, illustrating that there are different ways that people react to losing someone they love. It arrives at a universal problem-how to acknowledge the birthday of a child who has died.”

• Children

• Death of a Sibling

Ages 8-13. Black Jack Jetty follows Jack as he copes with his father’s death in Afghanistan. Follow Jack’s journey through his grief, anger, anxiety, and guilt. A tip sheet for kids to help cope with a parent s death follows the story.

• Children

• Death of a Father / Military

Ages 6-8. A father helps his grieving daughter, following the death of her mother, by pointing out a twinkling star that seems to be smiling down at them.

• Children

• Death of a Mother

A collection of poetry, fiction, and essays compiled by a journalist and a social worker, both of whom have had a child die.

• Death of a Child

The story follows a little girl processing her grief over the death of her father. In this first book of the series she is trying to figure out how to say goodbye to her father while her mother prepares for the funeral. The themes in the book deal with expressing emotions, non-traditional funeral, and remembrance of a loved one. (The second book of the series is titled, It's OK to Be Happy!) 

• Children

• Death of a Father

This book is a testament to a grieving mother who chose to pick the flowers on her journey, and share them with us. Fran's symbols of butterflies, angels, and roses offers comfort to those who mourn.

• Death of a Child

Ages 7-9. After her grandmother dies, Lindsay finds strength and beauty in the butterfly bush they planted together.

• Children

• Death of a Grandparent

A Beareavement Story for Children. "Oh Grandpa! Why did you leave me?" This is the question that lingers in little Billy's mind when his beloved Grandpa dies. Then he remembers his trip with his grandfather to a valley of butterflies.

• Children

• Death of a Grandparent

This book is the account of Anthony's wife's murder, the grief he experienced, and how and why he made the radical choice to forgive the killer. But beyond that, Anthony goes on to teach what forgiveness can and should look like in each of our lives--both personally, in our communities, and even in our nation. After much pain, reflection, and study, Thompson shares how true biblical love and mercy differ from the way these ideas are reflected in our culture.

• Sudden & Traumatic Death

• Religious / Homicide

A valuable resource for those who care for dying patients and their families. A variety of articles by various professionals dealing with many end-of-life care issues.

• Professional

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

Deals with the physical as well as emotional aspects of terminal illness. A very practical guide for caregivers.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Cancer

Written with the hope that you will understand your own reactions even as you try to comprehend your parents’ needs.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Aging Parents / Historical

A revised edition of a cross-cultural study of rituals surrounding death that focuses on the notion that in understanding other people's death rituals we are able to gain a better understanding of our own.

• Professional

Because “grieving for an animal can be a pretty lonely place,” Barbara Abercrombie created this joyful, poignant, funny, and smart collection of commiseration. The essays highlight the sometimes surprising things animals add to a household — and how their loss reverberates.

• Death of a Pet

Physician-author Diane Komp uses tender stories of her work with children who have cancer to illustrate timeless biblical truth. Showing how medicine, science, and biblical faith are compatible, she gives readers inspiring insight into the spiritual re-education of a Yale medical professor by her young patients.

• Professional

• Anticipatory / Before the Death / Religious

This book will help children and adults understand the deep impact of loss and what it takes to begin to heal. This book will help you and the child you care about to manage their sorrow and begin to move forward.

• Helping Children

• Death of a Parent

Childhood and Death fills the need for a comprehensive source treating the highly sensitive, difficult, and complex issues of working with children in this area. It discusses the various ways in which death affects children and effective intervention techniques to help them cope.

• Helping Children

• Children Dying

Children Also Grieve is an imaginative resource that offers support and reassurance to children coming to terms with the loss of a close friend or relative and to adults who are supporting them through their bereavement.

• Helping Children

This book attempts to identify, illuminate, and broaden our repertoire of adaptive maneuvers so that both children and adults will be better equipped to deal with the crisis of death.

• Helping Children

This book teaches you how to answer your child's questions in specific, practical ways, help your child grieve by supporting his or her God-given emotions. It also teaches you to give your child a sense of security and safety amid disorienting events like funerals, disrupted routines and more.

• Helping Children

Drawing upon extensive interviews and assessments of school-age children who have lost a parent to death, this book offers a richly textured portrait of the mourning process in children.

• Helping Children

• Death of a Parent

Focused on the traumatic nature that death presents in children's lives. It also includes a rang over a variety of topics, from supporting children during disaster, through the benefits of death education, to the value of ritual in helping children adjust to a radically altered set of circumstances following loss.

• Helping Children

• Sudden & Traumatic Death

Explores children's evolving views of death; describes and discusses what children themselves think of life and death. Offers guidelines for explaining death to a child.

• Helping Children

Mary Beth unveils her struggle to allow God to write the story of her life, both the happy chapters and the tragic ones. And as the story unfolds, she has been forced to wrestle with some of life’s biggest questions. No matter where you find yourself in your own life story, you will treasure the way Mary Beth shows that even in the hard times, there is hope if you choose to SEE.

• Death of a Child

• Sudden & Traumatic Death / Religious

The unique world between these covers is one of searing pain, but also one of love unvanquished. It conveys the precious value of life, the horror of homicide, and the power of the human spirit.

• Sudden & Traumatic Death

• Homicide

Ages 2-4. Megan doesn't want to hear that her Nana is dying. She picks up one of Nana's plants and tries to bring it back to health. The Christmas Season just isn't the same - all the colors of the season seem to be gone. But after Nana dies, Megan gets a very special present.

• Children

• Death of a Grandparent

A seventeen-year-old boy trying to recover from the loss of his girlfriend meets an unusual girl.

• Teens

• Death of a Partner

Ages 5 and up. Bessie misses her grandmother when she dies, but when Bessie grows up, she has a little girl of her own who looks and behaves just like Grandma.

• Children

• Death of a Grandparent

The book of Genesis, in fresh and modern idiom, becomes as up-to-date as this morning's newspaper.

• General

• Religious / Historical

A book of prayers for families who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or early infant death.

• Death of a Child

• Religious

"…deals with death and grief from a biblical and psychological perspective and offers practical advice to ministers on how to handle the grief situation and the funeral service."

• Professional

• Religious

An honest, frank confrontation of the problems and issues that we all must face in accepting illness, disability, and death as integral parts of living and being alive.

• General

• Before the Death / Historical

The book highlights 100 ways to offer tangible, helpful, and meaningful support to those who lost a loved on to suicide. In this book the author draws on her expertise as a clinician as well as her personal experience with how suicide has effected her, and the importance in community.

• Sudden & Traumatic Death

• Suicide

This compassionate and practical guide offers a new model of bereavement care for nurses, physicians, social workers, chaplains and other bedside obstetric caregivers, as they companion families who have experienced miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth and other forms of perinatal loss.

• Death of a Child

• Professional

If you work with the dying in your career or as a volunteer, or if you are a family member or friend to someone who is dying, this book presents you with a caregiving philosophy that will help you know how to respond, and what to do with your own powerful emotions.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Religious

This guide provides hundreds of hands-on activities tailored for grieving children in three age groups: preschool, elementary, and teens. Through the use of readings, games, discussion questions, and arts and crafts, caregivers can help grieving young people acknowledge the reality of the death, embrace the pain of the loss, remember the person who died, develop a new self-identity, search for meaning, and accept support.

• Helping Children & Teens

Bereavement care is draining work, and remaining empathetic to the painful struggles of the mourners and dying they serve makes caregivers highly susceptible to burnout. But if you make compassionate self-care a priority, not only will your life be richer and more joyful, you will be a more effective caregiver to others. Let this book show you how to have balance in your life and in your work.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Professional

A clear and comprehensive guide to dealing with the facts and emotions of death. An indispensable guide to anyone called upon to help in the inevitable crisis it brings.

• General

• Historical

Describes the nature of coping as it has been observed in cancer patients and relates these findings to some principles for action aimed toward helping people to achieve completeness in their lives.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Historical

Discusses death as a natural occurrence, what happens when someone dies, and how to deal with feelings of loss and grief.

• General

Discusses how to deal with different types of grief, in such situations as death, suicide, romantic break-up, and pregnancy. Includes fictional examples and lists of crisis centers and agencies to provide help.

• Teens

"Drawing on the actual experiences of young adults (i.e. persons aged 17-24), this volume explores their reactions to separation and death and their methods for coping."

• General

A wonderful, helpful book filled with information and guidance. Treats this serious subject with sympathetic feelings. An excellent guide allowing us to understand that we are not alone with our grief. Anyone who has a pet should read it.

• Death of a Pet

This book is intended to help you understand some of what to expect after the homicide of a family member or friend. The book is divided into sections which cover the first few days, the first few weeks, the first few months, the first year and beyond.

• Sudden & Traumatic Death

• Homicide

With an understanding and empathetic voice, Kim exposes the hurt in your heart, reveals the healing in God’s heart, and brings the two together to create a whole heart where restoration-and celebration-are possible after an abortion.

• Death of a Child

• Religious / Abortion

Designed to complement the clergy and funeral director’s role in the funeral planning process, this book walks families through the many decisions they will make at the time of a death and helps them create a ceremony that will be both healing and meaningful. Options are clearly explained and alternatives are also given, and charts and tables are included to help families assess cost options.

• General

• Funeral Rites and Ceremonies

Ages 3-10. Aware their grandmother is gravely ill, four siblings make a pact to keep death from taking her away. But Death does arrive all the same, as it must. He comes gently, naturally. And he comes with enough time to share a story with the children that helps them to realize the value of loss to life and the importance of being able to say goodbye.

• Children

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

In this collection of essays, 25 women open their hearts and share their stories of how they have survived and even gathered strength from the loss of their fathers.

• General

• Death of a Father

Kate Spencer lost her mom to cancer when she was 27. In The Dead Moms Club, she walks readers through her experience of stumbling through grief and loss, and helps them to get through it, too. This isn't a weepy, sentimental story, but rather a frank, up-front look at what it means to go through gruesome grief and come out on the other side.

• General

• Death of a Mother

A coming-of-age story about a 12 year old boy who is the sole survivor of a 187 plane crash that kill his brother and parents. This is a beautiful story about the ways a broken heart can learns to love again.

• Teens

• Sudden & Traumatic Death

Tricia LaVoices life is turned upside-down when her parents are tragically killed in an automobile accident. Years later another tragedy strikes Tricia's family, shaking her faith in life once more. It was during this time of suffering and loneliness that she found an unexpected respite in nature, in the form of a beautiful pine tree Tricia named Martha. This rare bond inspires Tricia who literally talks to Martha daily as she heals the hurt in her heart. Tricia learns to listen to her inner voice, and heals herself by finding her source of courage and strength is within her.

• General

• Sudden & Traumatic Death

Letters from those who have experienced the death of a child, sibling or other loved one to parents who have just had a child die.

• Death of a Child

An important aspect of social life for all peoples living under Roman rule or Roman influence in republican and imperial times.

• General

• Funeral Rites / Historical

A comprehensive and balanced analysis of the issues and challenges pose by death and dying in modern society.

• General

• Historical

Five prominent clinicians and scientists examine the psychological, sociological, and physical aspects of death.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Historical

Developed to help readers become more intelligent and discriminating consumers of information in our media-centered culture.

• General

Dr. Benton descries grief and the feelings of guilt, rejection, isolation, and fear that may accompany it.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Historical

Specialists in each field trace the history and development of the Eastern thought and tradition about death from the Vedic Period (3500 years ago) through current thought from philosophers such as Gandhi.

• General

• Historical

For clergy who wish to enhance their ability to assist others during times of death and grief.

• Professional

• Religious

It is the author's hope that our society may relearn that death is an essential part of life, and that free discussion of the processes of grief, mourning, and bereavement may contribute to a changed, more accepting attitude in the community.

• General

• Historical

Dr. Lockyer treats immortality as the good news of the life to come. Based on Scripture, it shows how hearts can be elated now with the glorious thought of a future of inexpressible happiness in the life beyond.

• General

• Religious / Historical

A realistic look at the legal, medical and emotional aspects of death.

• General

• Historical

Discusses the biological meaning of death, attitudes of the dying, survivors, and society toward death, and such related topics as euthanasia, abortion, murder, suicide, and immortality.

• General

• Historical